It Matters
by animeninjaNIPPON
Summary: "If I just disappeared, would it really matter?" A brief argument causes Sebastian to reflect on his relationships in Pelican Town, particularly that with a certain farmer girl. [Sebastian X Female Farmer]
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I haven't written any fanfiction in years. I haven't been as active in many fandoms lately, and my last few fanfic ideas were kind of meh…but I got the itch to do something again, so I decided to just go for it. I apologize if it's cliché, but I thought it was a cute idea.

I decided to make this a female OC-insert story as opposed to using my own farmer OC because I figured it would be more fun to get into that way. If I feel the urge to write more, I'll try to make some gender-neutral and/or male OC stories as well, and with other characters.

* * *

After a routine cigarette break on an otherwise average day, Sebastian jadedly returned to his house to continue a programming project he had been commissioned to do. Upon opening the door, he heard Demetrius saying something to Robin along the lines of, "What is he, twenty-three now? He has to move out sometime." Although he did not want to start an argument, he instinctively glanced over at his mom and step-dad in the kitchen. Demetrius continued his conversation, something about starting a mushroom farm, and Sebastian continued his trek to the basement without having been acknowledged. _Well, that's new,_ he thought. _Didn't even have the courtesy to stop talking about me when I walked in._ He went back to his computer and pulled up his script files, trying not to think about the choice words he would have exchanged with the old man if his mother had not been there.

He sat quietly at his computer, slightly hunched over in concentration. One hand rested on the mouse, the other was poised over the keyboard as he absently searched over a string of code. He heard a faint _click_ and the creaking of the basement door being opened, but he did not bother to look up. He instinctively knew it was the farmer – she was the only one who ever came down to the basement to talk to him anymore, other than his mom – and sure enough, out of his left peripheral, he caught a glimpse of her moving to the middle of the room.

"Hey," she greeted with a soft smile.

Sebastian scrolled through his project for a minute or two before he gave up concentrating and turned around to face the farmer. He sat up straight and looked over at her, greeting her by name.

"Sorry...if you're busy, I can come back later." She fidgeted nervously with her fingers.

"Nah, it's okay," Sebastian replied irritably. "It's not like my work is _that_ important anyway."

The farmer furrowed her brow. "What makes you say that?"

Sebastian sighed. "It's not like I contribute much around here. That's not entirely my fault, but I still don't feel great about it." He did not know why he bothered to tell the farmer about his personal problems, but it felt good to tell _somebody._ After an awkward pause,Sebastian turned back to his work. "If I just disappeared, would it really matter?"

The farmer gazed at him sadly, wanting to say something to comfort him, but the right words would not spring to mind. "It matters to me," she said quietly. Sebastian ignored her and stared intently at the computer screen. She shuffled around the room for about ten minutes before stating something about "getting back to the farm," then saying goodbye and leaving. He grunted in acknowledgment as the door clicked closed a few feet away.

The next day, he slept in late, only waking at the sound of the basement door creaking open once more. He sat up groggily and was surprised to see his mother's head poking out from behind the door.

"Sebby," she called, "it's already noon."

"I'm getting up." He slowly stepped out of bed. Once he had completed his morning ritual, he waited for Demetrius to leave the kitchen before pouring himself a huge mug of coffee and heading back to his work station. He was able to complete a large portion of his project, but after a while he started to realize that his farmer friend had not come by. She had visited him every day for the past month, even though sometimes it was only to sit on his floor for fifteen minutes while he typed away at his keyboard. Sebastian had come to expect her company – even look forward to it – and her absence made him slightly paranoid. Eventually he came to the conclusion, _I guess she finally got tired of me._ He grabbed an unopened pack of cigarettes from his desk and headed for the door.

He stared blankly out at the lake as he exhaled a cloud of smoke, lost in his thoughts. He thought about how Abigail used to chat with him in that very spot. She, too, would come visit him on a regular basis, or rather, she used to…he had enjoyed getting to know her and had even entertained the idea of asking her out, but something in the back of his mind told him, _It's pointless…I'll be moving to the city, and I work better alone, anyway._ Eventually, she stopped coming to see him in the basement, and their friendship never became more than just that. Sebastian took another drag of his cigarette. _I wonder when I stopped thinking about her that way…_

He thought about the farmer girl again. He had been apathetic to her arrival, only finding out about her when his mom mentioned that she had moved into the abandoned farm west of their house. He was probably the last person in the community to meet her, though he did not go out of his way to avoid her. She made a conscious effort to maintain a good rapport with Sebastian, much to his confusion, though she was somewhat easier to talk to about serious stuff with than Sam or Abigail. Perhaps it was because the farmer was slightly older, or because she had lived in the city, or because she had some experience with computers from her previous job in an office, that Sebastian found her relatable. Still, in the back of his mind, he did not expect her to stick around with him forever.

After snuffing out his cigarette butt with the toe of his shoe, Sebastian trudged over to the mines. He hoped that the cave ambience would help clear his mind, and maybe he would be lucky enough to find a piece of obsidian. As he entered the mines, he heard a sharp scuffling against the rocks. Expecting to run into a monster, he guarded up for a possible attack and cautiously followed the source of the sound. He found a humanesque figure emerging from an opening in the cave wall, which then slumped to the ground defeatedly. Examining the figure closer, he saw that it was the farmer.

Sebastian frantically called out her name, to which she slowly lifted her head in his direction. He rushed over to her side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she whispered, but the way she cradled her side suggested otherwise.

"Can you stand?" He tried to help her up, but she recoiled in pain and sank to the ground again. "Okay, don't move – I'll see if I can get help."

"I'll be all right," she insisted. "I just need a moment to rest."

"But you might have broken a rib or something…wait for me here, I'll get help." He started to rise when a large shadow loomed over them, and Sebastian tensed up once again. A large, disheveled man approached them, and without thinking, Sebastian wrapped his arms around the farmer protectively. _That's the weird guy who lives behind the house!_ "What do you want?" he demanded.

"I can help," Linus insisted meekly.

The farmer gingerly touched Sebastian's arm. "He's a friend."

Sebastian was weary of Linus, but he trusted the farmer's judgment. "She needs medical treatment."

"I have something that will keep her stable until then." Linus offered a small pink vial, which Sebastian took and helped the farmer drink. Within minutes, she relaxed and began to sit up straight. "You should still see the doctor," Linus insisted to the farmer, "and get some rest."

After thanking Linus, who then quietly withdrew to the safety of his tent, Sebastian and the farmer remained huddled together in the mines for a while. They sat in relative silence, concentrating on the sounds of water dripping in the distance and their own breathing, until they accidentally made eye contact and self-consciously shifted out of their embrace. The farmer gazed downward shyly, but immediately looked up at Sebastian again when he called her name. "Yeah?" she responded.

"When I move to the city, will you come visit me?"

"Of course." She smiled, but he could sense the disappointment in her voice.

Sebastian sighed. "You don't sound very enthusiastic about it."

"Well…I'll miss you." She blushed, quickly adding, "I'm sure everyone will."

"I doubt that." Sebastian wondered why she cared so much about whether or not he was around, then realized that her own presence mattered to him more than he wanted to admit. _I haven't even talked to Sam about this yet._ "But it's not like I'll be out of the picture anytime soon, so it doesn't matter." He paused, then added, "…but I guess it matters to you, huh?"

"For what it's worth, I probably would have passed out in the mines if you hadn't come by…maybe worse."

"Well, it's not like I would let someone die out here." _I don't want to lose you,_ he wanted to say, but he did not have the courage to. "It's getting late…I'll help you get to Doctor Harvey's." He stood up and offered his hand to the farmer to help her to her feet, which she accepted, and together they left the mines.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I intended for this to be a one-shot just to get back in the feel for writing fanfiction, but I thought of a good continuation for the first part. Also, spoilers ahead if you haven't seen Sebastian's 8-heart cutscene yet. Again, I apologize if this is cheesy or unoriginal, but I liked the way it flowed, so…yeah.

* * *

Sebastian leaned up against the wall outside of Harvey's clinic, anxiously lighting a cigarette in the dark. _I know I should quit,_ he thought, _but I gotta do something to calm my nerves right now._

The door creaked open beside him. "You can't smoke out here," a woman's voice reprimanded him.

Sebastian turned his head to see his sister Maru, dressed to impress in her nurse's uniform. "I'm outside," he replied, annoyed.

"Sorry, Sebastian. Doctor's rules, not mine."

"Fine." Sebastian rolled his eyes and snuffed out his unfinished cigarette on the sole of his shoe. _I don't know why I'm standing around here, anyway…_ He walked away without further acknowledging his sister's presence, and she shook her head in dismay before retreating back into the clinic. As he passed Pierre's General Store, he caught a glimpse of an advertisement posted next to the town bulletin board: _Fresh Flower Bouquets – Now For Sale!_ He stopped for a moment to read the advertisement, wondering when was the last time Pierre had flower bouquets available in his shop, then headed home for the evening.

When he arrived at his house, his mom and Demetrius were already in bed. He considered making a pot of coffee, since he knew he would be unable to sleep anyway, but decided against it since he was already on edge. Once in his basement, he sat down at his computer to distract himself with a video game until he chose to call it a night somewhere around one in the morning.

The next day brought a shower of rain down on the valley, so Sebastian decided to take a walk out on the boardwalk, as it was one of the few outdoor activities he enjoyed. He had expected to slip away unnoticed, but Robin was already at her workstation and stopped him as he was about to leave. "Sebby, there's a storm coming. Please take an umbrella with you."

Reluctantly, Sebastian grabbed a large red-and-white striped umbrella from the stand next to the front door. "Okay, Mom. I'll see you in a bit."

Robin waved goodbye as the door closed behind Sebastian. He did not bother opening the umbrella during his walk, though he passed several other villagers who had theirs out – none of whom noticed him as he ambled over to the beach. He kept walking until he reached the end of the pier, then stood and admired the drops of water falling from the sky into the seemingly endless ocean. As he took in the tranquil atmosphere, thoughts of the previous day began to creep back into his mind.

 _I don't know what had me feeling so emotional last night…she wasn't critically injured, and I would have done the same for Sam or any other friend…then again, those are my only friends anymore, aren't they?_ Sebastian brushed his dark hair away from his face as the water weighed it down. _For the longest time, I've been pushing people away…_

His internal monologue was interrupted by soft footsteps approaching behind him. He turned around to see the farmer standing behind him, and gasped her name in shock. Taking a moment to regain his composure, he continued, "Hey. I'm surprised to find you out here in the rain."

"I like the rain," she replied. "It waters the crops for me."

She had no umbrella, and Sebastian watched as the water droplets fell without prejudice against her body, compelling her modest farmer's clothing to cling to her tightly. When he realized that he had been staring too long, he broke his gaze and focused instead on the incoming storm. "Look at those dark clouds looming over the horizon…" He pointed into the distance. "I hope they come this way." He turned to face the farmer again. "I like this weather because it makes everyone disappear... you know? Being around people makes me feel anxious." He smiled timidly. "I don't feel that way around you, though."

The farmer smiled back. "I'm glad."

They stood for a moment in the downpour, engaging each other without words. When the farmer looked away bashfully, Sebastian broke the silence. "We're getting soaked…" He picked up the large umbrella his mom had convinced him to bring, mentally thanking her for her foresight, and opened it. "Here... There's room for two." He motioned for the farmer to join him, which she did without hesitation.

Time seemed to stop underneath that umbrella. Sebastian could feel the warmth radiating from her body, seemingly amplified by the chill of the rain. It was a different sensation than what he had experienced when he helped her out in the mines, more than just a feeling of comfort in her presence – he _wanted_ her closer, closer than they stood together at that moment…even though the ominous voice in the back of his mind still warned him not to let his guard down, he felt happier in that instance than he ever had before. _If I have to stick around Pelican Town for the foreseeable future…as long as I can have this, it will be worthwhile._ They finally parted ways as the sun set, as the farmer had an unexpected errand to run.

Sebastian returned home in a daze, carelessly tossing the umbrella to the side of the stand and dripping water on the floor. He half expected to be yelled at for coming into the house waterlogged, but either his entrance went unnoticed or he merely ignored any negative reaction. After changing into dry clothes, he fell backwards into his bed, staring up at the ceiling and trying to relive the events of that afternoon in his mind. He almost dozed off, but the _click_ of the basement door opening snapped him out of his trance and sent his adrenaline flowing.

It was the farmer.

Sebastian was startled to see her again. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming. "Hey. You're up late."

Although she tried to remain collected, Sebastian could see that her breathing was shallow, as though she had been running, and she was fidgeting with something behind her back. She paused, ready to give a valid reason for her appearance, but she merely shrugged.

Sebastian stood up. "Something wrong?"

Taking a breath, she slowly moved her hands from behind her back, revealing a fresh bouquet. She took a step forward and presented it to Sebastian, whose eyes widened in shock.

"You…you want to get more serious?" Beaming brightly, he reached out to receive the bouquet, lightly brushing her hand. "I feel the same way."

"I wanted to give you that before I lost my nerve."

 _Was this the unexpected errand she had to run?_ He wondered, among a slew of other new questions: _What's the next step? Do I kiss her? Hold her hand? Ask her out to dinner?_ But the first question that came out was, "How long have you felt this way?"

"I don't know…a long time. I just never thought it mattered to you."

"It does matter…" He reached out to caress her cheek for a second before apprehensively pulling his hand away. "Sorry, I guess I'm kind of nervous."

"It's okay. We can talk more tomorrow."

"I'd like that."

They exchanged "goodnights" and sentimental smiles, then the farmer quietly left the basement. Sebastian laid down on his bed again, clutching the bouquet to his chest, and fell asleep thinking of all the things he wanted to say to her the next time they were together.


End file.
